Gloria Steinem once wrote about the women’s movement, “The revolution begins within.”

In my opinion, there’s a new women’s movement and it is a financial one. It’s about the internal battle we women often have within ourselves – the inner battle to grant ourselves permission to achieve guilt-free financial independence.

We all have within us right now the potential to become wealthy. Yes, I said wealthy.

Wealthy to me is the ability to live comfortably and know my family will always be taken care of, no matter what. It’s the ability to give financially to those causes I feel make our world a better place. And, it’s the ability to be financially independent.

Do you believe you can be or already are financially independent?
If yes, why?
If no, why?


On average, many women are uncomfortable discussing money and even more uncomfortable managing money. How often do you hear women say words like rich or wealthy when describing their finances or goals?

Money and self-esteem go hand-in-hand. You can have a million dollars but if you don’t feel you’re worth a million dollars, you’re still not financially independent.

Am I making sense? Women seem to come to the world of finance with emotional baggage. For many of us, money is almost a love/hate relationship. To be truly financially independent, we must not only respect the power of money but also respect our own power as financially capable women.

It is that fear of “having financial power” that often times will stop women from fulfilling their dream of financial independence. Why? Could it be because money is often used as a measure of self-worth and we don’t truly believe we are worthy and deserving of wealth?


Let me ask you a question and please take a few minutes with pen and paper to answer. Even allow yourself to feel the emotions of your answer:

If you had three million dollars in the bank right now, how would your life be different?

Look carefully at what you wrote. Are there more positives in your answer or negatives? Does wealth feel like a joyous emotion or a burden? In your mind’s eye, can you picture yourself with three million dollars or did it seem like a fantasy?


Men and women seem to view money differently. Men view money as a commodity or a game, the one with the most money wins. Women view money from more of a personal and emotional standpoint.

Let’s look at one of the emotional aspects women often deal with when striving for financial independence - guilt.

Simply put, women often feel guilty for having and enjoying money. Why? Because there are people, whether we know them or not, who don’t have money. Could there be old programs in the mind saying, “Don’t be selfish, share with your sister.”

Do you know that studies have found that on average, we’ll unconsciously allow ourselves to earn only within ten to twenty per cent of what our friends and family earn? Why do you think that is? You’re right. It’s guilt. It’s the fear that we will not be accepted if we have more money than the other important people in our lives.

Guilt and self-esteem go hand-in-hand. The more secure you are within yourself, the more you’ll allow yourself to earn and enjoy wealth.

Instead of looking at wealth and money in terms of guilt, how about looking in terms of how we can be of service to others. Can you think of wealthy women role models who are making a difference with their money? How about Oprah Winfrey? Do you think Oprah feels guilty about being a billionaire?

If you had three million dollars in the bank, how would your life be different? How could life be more comfortable? How would you feel knowing you’d never have to worry about money? Which causes could you support?

Isn’t it time we concentrate on the positives of our power, especially our financial power? Wealth truly begins on the inside, inside your heart and mind.

Please go to our forum and let me know what you think about guilt-free financial independence.


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You may want to take a few minutes to visit my website www.SharonMichaels.com for more empowering suggestions, tools and tips.